Vatican City
The smallest country in the world offers the heart of Catholicism and among the
world's finest art collections, including the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael
Rooms (ceiling pictured). Go to Vatican City!

Austria
Belvedere Palace (pictured) is just one of many palaces found in Vienna. The capital
is a good start to Austria, which also features the Alps, the Lakes District, and
incredible history & food. Go Now!

Latvia
Latvia is small, but has a diverse history, foods, and architecture (shown), which
includes aspects from both Eastern and Western Europe. Begin Your
Journey!

Ethnicity, Language, & Religion of Serbia

Ethnicity

Most of the people living in Serbia are ethnic Serbs, which
is a group of people that belong to the southern Slavic family. There are significant
minorities of ethnic Magyars (Hungarians) in the north,
Bosniaks (Muslim Bosnians) and Croats in the west, Montenegrins in the south, and
Roma (gypsies) in various parts of the country. The Serbs, Montenegrins, Bosniaks,
and Croats are all very similar ethnically, if not identical, but each group claims
differences ethnically, although the greatest differences come religiously, culturally,
and politically. The Roma are ethnically related to the people of
India and the Magyars are distantly related to Turkic people and other Central
Asian peoples, but also have relations with the many nearby European people.

Language

The only official language of Serbia is Serbian, which is
a member of the southern Slavic linguistic group. The language is commonly written
in the Cyrillic script, but orally it is nearly identical to both
Croatian and Bosnian (which are often
written in the Latin script). Locally, these three languages, which are all nearly
identical, should be referred to by the ethnicity of the speaker, although in English
the language is commonly called "Serbo-Croatian."

There is a growing trend to learn additional foreign languages in Serbia, but today
few people are fluent in a second language. English and other popular international
languages are being taught in greater numbers, but few people are fluent in these
languages and those who are tend to be young adults or students.

Religion

The most common religion in Serbia is Serbian Orthodoxy,
which is what most Serbs identify with. Catholicism and smaller Christian religions
are also practiced by the minority; most notably Catholicism being practiced by
the ethnic Magyars (Hungarians) and Croatians.

Orthodoxy is a Christian religion that claims to be the most loyal to the Christian
faith and religion as it was described by Jesus and the Gospels in the New Testament.
Christianity, including Orthodoxy, was founded after the death of Jesus in about
30-33 AD; various branches of Orthodoxy were officially recognized by governments
long before Catholicism was recognized in the Roman Empire.

Orthodoxy and Catholicism have many of the same beliefs; both believe that there
is a single God who created everything and a savior, the son of God, Jesus Christ
who is the forgiver of sins. However, Orthodoxy is decentralized so each bishop
oversees their local country or region, giving each orthodox country a different
leader. In this way, no bishop has more power than any other, meaning the tenants
and interpretations of the faith remain relatively unchanged. These beliefs are
based on the teachings of the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, in
particular the life and teachings of Jesus, which is found in the gospels (in the
New Testament).